The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) South Africans continue to face considerable challenges, including societal stigma, homophobic violence (particularly corrective rape), and high rates of sexually transmitted diseases and infections (particularly Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/AIDS) even when discrimination based on sexual orientation was outlawed by South African’s post-apartheid constitution. This study was conducted to ascertain violence, abuse and discrimination against the LGBTI sector as key factors that hinder the smooth implementation of HIV/AIDS programme among sexually minority (LGBTI) group in Walter Sisulu University, South Africa. The self-structured questionnaire was used to collect data. The study involved 3048 purposively selected participants (1285 male and 1763 female) aged 17–38 years. About 70.5% of the participants witnessed physical attack as a form of violence against people in same-gender relationship; 47.7% disagreed that violent targeted at this sexually minority group is justified. The LGBTI face challenges which include verbal insults (937, 32.4%), bullying (532, 18.4%) and name-calling (1389, 48%). Discrimination against members of the LGBTI sector was witnessed in various forms: non-acceptance (981, 33.9%), disapproval of act of homosexuals (1308, 45.2) and denial of rights (327, 11.3). Violence, abuse and discrimination which constitute stigmatisation among the LGBTI sector are received with mix feeling. Some respondents justified the use of one or more of these key elements of stigmatisation against the LGBTI (6.6%, supports violence), others condemned these acts of stigmatisation (28.8%), against discrimination). Social stigma which resulted from violence, abuse and discrimination exist in this institution and is responsible for the unwillingness of disclosure of sexual orientation among the LGBTI members. An enabling environment should be created where the LGBTI members could come out freely to access programmes targeted at the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS.

Healthcare-associated infections, also known as nosocomial infections, which affect patients in a hospital or healthcare facility and were not present or incubating at the time of admission, [1] are among the main patient safety challenges in healthcare facilities. [2] They can be defined as an infection that develops 48 hours after hospital admission or within 48 hours after discharge. [3] In spite of improvements in healthcare, nosocomial infections continue and can be acquired anywhere healthcare is delivered, including inpatient acute-care hospitals, outpatient settings such as ambulatory surgical centres, end-stage renal disease facilities, and long-term care facilities such as nursing homes and rehabilitation centres. The development of nosocomial infections is dependent on two key pathophysiological factors: decreased host defences and colonisation by pathogenic or potentially pathogenic organisms. [4] A survey published by the New England Journal of Medicine (cited in Becker's Clinical Leadership and Infection Control [5]) provides important insight for healthcare providers in their efforts to combat infections, reporting prevalence of the five commonest recorded nosocomial infections as follows: pneumonia 21.8% of all healthcare-associated infections; surgical site infection (SSI) 21.8%; gastrointestinal infection 17.1%; urinary tract infection 12.9%; and primary bloodstream infection 9.9%. It is estimated that ~1 in 7 patients entering South African (SA) hospitals is at high risk of acquiring a nosocomial infection. [6] Neurosurgical patients are particularly vulnerable because of the serious nature of their illnesses, the frequency of associated trauma, and the presence of invasive devices. Neurosurgeons treat conditions such as aneurysms, stroke, epilepsy, meningitis, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury and brain tumours, all of which predispose patients to fungal, viral and bacterial infections. A study conducted in Pretoria, SA, reported that the incidence of ventriculitis reached 28.3% among paediatric neurosurgical patients. [7] Objectives Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital (NMAH) in Mthatha, like many hospitals in SA, [7] faces high rates of nosocomial infections. The present study sought to determine the aetiology and incidence of these infections following neurosurgical procedures, as well as the associated risk factors. Methods This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. Patients were enrolled from 1 October 2013 to 30 September 2014. All inpatients who had had a neurosurgical procedure at NMAH during the study period were included in the study if their medical and laboratory records were accurate, legible and complete. Medical records were accessed in the Department of Neurosurgery at NMAH where patients were admitted, while laboratory records were obtained from the Department of Medical Microbiology at the National Health This open-access article is distributed under Creative Commons licence CC-BY-NC 4.0.

Introduction: Intestinal parasites in HIV and AIDS patients increase the risk of gastroenteritis, adding to the complexity of the virus. According to the literature, their interactions are one of the factors leading to HIV replication and progression of AIDS in Africa. Chronic immunosuppression caused by HIV infection makes people vulnerable to parasitic infections, and this is associated with a CD4+ cell count of less than 100. The study describes the prevalence of intestinal parasites in patients attending HIV/AIDS clinics in certain areas of the Eastern Cape. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 600 patients from HIV/AIDS clinics in the Eastern Cape. Tambo Municipality and Amatole Municipality were the municipalities covered. These included the Ngangalizwe Community Clinic, Tsolo Gateway Clinic, Idutywa Health Centre, and Nqamakwe Health Centre. The stools of 600 participants were examined using direct wet saline/iodine embedding, formal ether concentration technique, and modified Ziehl–Neelsen methods. Results: The mean age of the study participants was 28.2 years. They were predominantly female (79.9%), mostly single (63.6%), and lived in rural (65.2%) and urban areas (34.8%). The prevalence of intestinal parasites was determined to be 30% (180/600) after screening 600 stool samples. The most frequently detected parasites were Ascaris lumbricoides (55.9%), Balantidium coli (15.1%), Entamoeba coli (11.3%), Diphyllobothrium latum (4.3%), Taenia species (3.8%), Schistosoma mansoni (1.6%), and Cryptosporidium spp. (1.6%). Males were affected more frequently (39.2%) than females (27.9%). The difference was statistically significant (p = 0.017). Among the identified intestinal parasites, A. lumbricoides, B. coli, and Taenia spp. were found at all four sites. Conclusion: This study has shed light on the high burden of intestinal parasites in HIV/AIDS patients in the Eastern Cape. Medication adherence, deworming, and sanitary hygiene practices are needed to enhance the control of infection in the affected communities and hence contribute to the control of the HIV pandemic.

tant to ceftriaxone, respectively. Serotype 6A and 6B isolates built up the high resistance to chloramphenicol. Conclusion:The antibiotic resistance of invasive S. pneumoniae isolates from meningitis pediatric patients in Southern Vietnam is at an alarming rate with the significant decrease of ceftriaxone susceptibility.

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